IRM-RCED Issue Area Plan--Fiscal Years 1994-96 (Letter Report, 08/01/95,
GAO/IAP-95-17).
GAO provided information on its Information Resources Management
(IRM)-Resources, Community, and Economic Development issue area plan for
fiscal years 1994 through 1996.
GAO plans to: (1) evaluate the Federal Aviation Agency's Standard
Terminal Automation Replacement System and Oceanic Automation System;
(2) assess the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) implementation of its
Modernization of Administrative Processes Program and analyze USDA
component agencies' development of financial information systems; (3)
assess the Department of Commerce's restructuring of the Advanced
Weather Interactive Processing System; (4) analyze the potential
duplication of technology developments supporting environmental data
collection; (5) assess the Department of Housing and Urban Development's
efforts to strengthen its IRM program to support its evolving
information needs; (6) assess the Department of Energy's oversight of
contractors' IRM activities and expenditures; and (7) evaluate the
testing of the Department of the Interior's Automated Land Management
System.
--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------
REPORTNUM: IAP-95-17
TITLE: IRM-RCED Issue Area Plan--Fiscal Years 1994-96
DATE: 08/01/95
SUBJECT: Computerized information systems
Air traffic control systems
Financial management systems
Data collection operations
Information resources management
Land management
Meteorological research
Environmental research
Environmental monitoring
IDENTIFIER: FAA Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System
FAA Oceanic Automation System
NWS Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System
Dept. of the Interior Automated Land Management System
USDA Modernization of Administrative Processes Initiative
FAA Air Traffic Control Modernization Program
USDA Info Share Program
Superfund Program
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Cover
================================================================ COVER
Accounting and Information Management Division
August 1995
IRM-RCED ISSUE AREA PLAN - FISCAL
YEARS 1994-96
GAO/IAP-95-17
Abbreviations
=============================================================== ABBREV
FOREWORD
============================================================ Chapter 0
As the investigative arm of Congress and the nation's auditor, the
General Accounting Office is charged with following the federal
dollar wherever it goes. Reflecting stringent standards of
objectivity and independence, GAO's audits, evaluations, and
investigations promote a more efficient and cost-effective
government; expose fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in federal
programs; help Congress target budget reductions; assess financial
and information management; and alert Congress to developing trends
that may have significant fiscal or budgetary consequences. In
fulfilling its responsibilities, GAO performs original research and
uses hundreds of databases, or creates its own to compile and analyze
information.
To ensure that GAO's resources are directed toward the most important
issues facing Congress, each of GAO's 35 issue areas develops a
strategic plan that describes its key issues and their significance,
how those issues influence audit objectives, the focus of its work,
and the planned major job starts. Each issue area relies heavily on
input from congressional committees, agency officials, and
subject-matter experts in developing its strategic plan.
The IRM-RCED issue area covers information resources management of
the key agencies covered by GAO's Resources, Community, and Economic
Development (RCED) Division--the Departments of Agriculture,
Commerce, Energy, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Interior, and
Transportation; and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Information resources in the IRM-RCED area support over $160 billion
in annual program expenditures. These information resources are
vital to agencies achieving critical missions ranging from ensuring
the safety of millions of air travelers to overseeing loan portfolios
valued at over $1 trillion.
GAO's IRM-RCED work assists Congress in determining how effectively
and efficiently key agencies use the billions of dollars they invest
annually in information technology. The principal issues in this
area are
-- acquiring cost-effective Transportation computer
andcommunication systems;
-- developing Agriculture computer and communication systems that
support revised business strategies;
-- improving the development and operation of National Weather
Service systems;
-- strengthening environmental systems to help recover cleanup
costs, help achieve missions, and reduce potential technological
duplications;
-- resolving problems with HUD systems supporting high- risk
programs; and
-- using information technology at Energy to effectively and
efficiently support missions.
In the pages that follow, we describe our objectives and planned work
on these issues.
Because events may affect this plan, GAO's planning process allows
the flexibility to update the plan and respond quickly to emerging
issues. If you have any questions or suggestions, please call me at
(202) 512-6253.
Joel Willemssen
Director, Information Resources Management/Resources,
Community, and Economic Development Issues
CONTENTS
============================================================ Chapter 1
FOREWORD
---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:1
1
TABLE I: KEY ISSUES
---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:2
4
TABLE II: PLANNED MAJOR WORK
---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:3
8
TABLE I: KEY ISSUES
============================================================ Chapter 2
Issue Significance
----------------------------- -------------------------------------------------
Transportation: Is the The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Air
Department of Transportation Traffic Control System Modernization Program is a
effectively acquiring $38-billion effort that encompasses almost 200
computer and communications individual projects. In 1995, GAO designated this
systems, providing reliable as a high-risk information technology program
safety data, and using because it had experienced past failures,
innovative technologies? involves complex technology, and is critical to
FAA's mission.
Agriculture: Is the In its effort to consolidate and streamline
Department of Agriculture operations, Agriculture plans to spend billions
effectively developing of dollars on information and communications
computer and communications technologies to support new reengineered business
systems to support its processes. To be successful, it must carefully
revised business strategies? select enabling technologies that will serve
business needs in the most cost-effective manner
possible.
National Weather Service: Are The National Weather Service is undertaking one
the systems supporting the of the largest system modernization programs in
National Weather Service's the federal government to streamline and improve
$4.5-billion modernization its aging weather service capabilities and
program being effectively and downsize its organization. In 1995, GAO
efficiently managed and designated the modernization as a high-risk
operated? information technology program because of its
size and use of complex technologies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Objectives Focus of work
----------------------------- -------------------------------------------------
�Enhance the cost- �Review of high-risk air traffic control
effectiveness of computer and modernization program
communications systems
supporting the $38-billion
air traffic control �Assessment of adequacy of airway safety systems
modernization program. and data
�Recommend needed
enhancements in safety
systems and data.
�Identify unnecessary system �Reviews of $2.6-billion Info Share initiative,
development projects and Agriculture's management of its
redundant and inefficient telecommunications networks, and financial
telecommunications services. systems development efforts
�Recommend streamlining of �Assessment of information systems to support
agency business processes via revised missions
information technology.
�Recommend improvements in �Evaluation of systems architecture needed to
the development, operation, guide the Weather Service's effort
and integration of key system
components leading to �Review of development and operation of systems
strengthened weather such as surface observing systems, doppler radar,
forecasting. and the advanced weather interactive processing
system
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Issue Significance
----------------------------- -------------------------------------------------
Environment: Can With annual environmental compliance costs
environmental systems be reaching $115 billion, federal facility cleanup
strengthened to obtain costs projected at $1 trillion, and environmental
additional recoverable costs, issues permeating almost every facet of our
help achieve missions, and lives, interest in environmental protection
reduce potential programs remains at the forefront of the public
technological duplications? and congressional agendas. To address these
issues and carry out its various environmental
missions, EPA needs effective and efficient
systems to provide critical information to
decisionmakers.
Housing: Can HUD effectively Information system weaknesses are a major reason
resolve problems with the why GAO designated HUD a high-risk agency. To
systems supporting its high- address these and other program problems, HUD has
risk programs and reengineer proposed a major reinvention initiative to
its business processes? consolidate programs and streamline operations.
System improvements are key to successfully
transition from a high-risk agency to one that is
efficient and responsive to customers.
Energy: Is Energy effectively The Department of Energy spends about $2 billion
using information technology annually on information technology--the third
to support its missions and highest among civilian agencies. Concerns are
providing effective oversight escalating about whether these expenditures (1)
of contractors' IRM are helping the Department achieve its missions
activities? and (2) may be unnecessarily duplicative among
contractors.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Objectives Focus of work
----------------------------- -------------------------------------------------
�Enhance the information �Review of information systems supporting
systems supporting EPA's Superfund cost recovery
Superfund program to enable
the recovery of additional �Reviews of systems supporting missions such as
costs. hazardous and solid waste and air quality
�Improve EPA information �Assessment of potential duplication of
systems to help support technology developments supporting environmental
environmental missions such data collection
as monitoring solid and
hazardous waste, and air
quality.
�Recommend reducing
duplications in the federal
government's technological
approaches to collecting
environmental data.
�Recommend system �Reviews of systems supporting HUD's high-risk
enhancements necessary to programs
provide managers with better
information to control high- �Evaluation of HUD's management of information
risk programs. resources
�Recommend improvements in
information resources
management and opportunities
to streamline business
processes.
�Recommend improvements in �Evaluations of whether information systems are
information systems and data adequately supporting key missions, such as
so that Energy can more nuclear tracking
effectively carry out its
missions. �Reviews of Energy's oversight of contractor IRM
activities
�Strengthen Energy's
oversight of its contractors'
IRM activities and identify
possible reductions in
contractor expenditures.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TABLE II: PLANNED MAJOR WORK
============================================================ Chapter 3
Issue Planned major job starts
----------------------- ---------------------------------------------
Transportation --Perform investment portfolio analysis of
air traffic control modernization systems.
--Evaluate FAA's Standard Terminal Automation
Replacement System.
--Evaluate FAA's Oceanic Automation System.
--Analyze FAA software acquisition
capability.
Agriculture --Analyze Agriculture's component agencies'
development of financial information
systems.
--Evaluate opportunities to achieve
telecommunications savings by extending USDA
approach governmentwide.
--Assess Agriculture's implementation of its
Modernization of Administrative Processes
Program.
--Evaluate the consolidation and integration
of systems within Agriulture's new natural
resources and environment mission area.
Weather Service --Assess Commerce restructuring of the
Advanced Weather Interactive Processing
System.
--Evaluate operational testing of integrated
weather systems.
Environment --Analyze potential duplication of technology
developments supporting environmental data
collection.
Housing and Urban --Assess HUD's efforts to strengthen its IRM
Development program to support evolving information
needs.
Energy --Assess DOE's oversight of contractors' IRM
activities and expenditures.
--Evaluate information systems supporting
DOE's environmental management program.
Other congressional --Evaluate the testing of Interior's
requests Automated Land Management System.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*** End of document. ***